Maybe someone you know is planning a big trip for 2009, or maybe they travel every week for business. Surprise them before their journey with something handmade, fun and perhaps even a little “practical!”

Make It

Playing Card Notebooks
We think these small, accordion-style books would be perfect for traveling. Diane from CraftyPod gives great directions in her Playing Card Notebook Tutorial.

Camera Cozy
Photos are essential when we travel! Your camera will be snug with Katrin’s Camera Cozy Tutorial from sew-mad.

Lingerie/Utility Bags
Carrie’s bags are the perfect thing for shoes, knitting projects and much more when you’re on the road. The Lingerie/Utility Bag Tutorial from Sommer Designs will help you make a thoughtful gift for travelers.

Here are just a handful of fabrics we love for some of these projects. Click on the fabric images to visit the Sew,Mama,Sew!shop:

Lauren’s choice

Kristin’s choice

Meg’s choice

Buy It

The Hipshack by may.tree.ark
Catherine’s Hipshacks from may.tree.ark are just the thing for hands-free travel. Hipshacks have a Velcro closure for extra security and they can accommodate cell phones, keys and IDs.

Mix It

Rosemary Limoncello
Kelli shares a great Rosemary Limoncello Recipe on her AfricanKelli blog. The project needs a little time to sit, so start today… It’s worth the wait!

Share It

Win It

Gift Certificate to SMS

Need some beautiful fabric or patterns for your projects? Perhaps you’ll be one of the lucky winners of a $20 gift certificate to the Sew,Mama,Sew! shop! Comment today to put your name in the hat. The winner will be announced Friday.

335 Responses to November 2 ~ Gifts for Travelers

I just booked a trip to Hawaii!!! If you are planning a trip make sure you use http://www.1000travelsites.com to find the best prices for flights and hotels. They search pretty much every travel provider on the web in a matter of seconds! Then they list the prices from all of the travel providers on one page so you definitely get the lowest price every time. I’ve tried other sites like this before, but this one aways has the most listings and the best prices. It’s like the google of travel searches.

I’m so happy you guys are back, I enjoyed and utilized the blog last season, and hope to do so this year as well! I’m especially excited about your recipes for yummy stuff that will make nice gifts, on top of your great craft projects! Hurrah, and welcome back!

I love the passport cover. As a Canadian, I will soon have to have my passport with me to cross the border in the car, so why not have something compulsory look pretty? I think I can even man it up and make one for my husband. Maybe then he won’t lose it!

Great ideas. I love the playing card notebooks — how easy would it be to cover the playing cards with fabric and stitch something fun onto them? Also like the camera case – these would make really unique gifts. Thanks for sharing

I am new to this November give away! But the rocket is a great idea!!! Go Fish is one of those games you can play with kids and keep them occupied all day!!! Especially with the magnet!!! You can pick up those magnetized letters and teach them what letters they are!!! What a great idea!!! Thanks!!!

Hi!
Thanks for hosting this great event – I love to get to know new tutorials…it would be perfect if you could also provide a tutorial to make some extra time to sew everything I now want to do ;o) …tempting & addictive is what comes to my mind when reading your blog.
Cheers, Julia

I am very excited about all the holiday sewing ideas and can’t wait to see the rest! Thank you! I am still working on some of the suggestions that you published last year too and they are coming out wonderfully.

Thank you for such wonderful new ideas for gifts. I have always made most of our gifts but get caught up in finding a good idea and then EVERYBODY gets the same thing. Thanks to you I can see the possibilities of making something different for everyone. Thank YOU!

Love the lingerie/utility bags, especially the little bikini applique. What a cute idea!! I also need to make a camera cozy. Mine always ends up with lots of cookie crumbs stuck to it from being thrown in the diaper bag!

I love the lingerie/shoe bags. I’ve wanted to make something like them for a while now–I’d like to have something a bit more sustainable and presentable than plastic bags housing my shoes when I travel. I’m looking forward to the whole month of tutorials, too. I found last year’s set so helpful and inspiring.

I don’t know if I will have time to do entirely handmade this year but I will definitely be looking at buying someone elses handmade before rushing out to the store to buy… I am really excited about trying projects for my family and friends this year!

Wow–these are great! I made my daughter’s camera cases a couple of years ago–and I don’t have any desire to make another one like them–even though they turned out great–This one is really cute and LOOKS so much simpler to make–That’s what I’m talkin about!

I loved Handmade Holidays last year – so excited to see it back again this year. The utility bags are so very cute, as are the notebooks… not a bad way to use those decks of cards that might be a few short of a full deck.
Thanks for putting this all together again!

Love the little linen lingerie/shoe/utility bags. These would be great for traveling to put your shoes in. Or lingerie, sock, or whatever! The little embellishments with the embroidery really take the whole project from utilitarian into unique and special.

I love all the handmade holiday ideas. I am committed to making handmade gifts this year as job changes have created a strain on our budget. But I have a sewing machine and fabric and lots of ideas thanks to you guys.

i’m so excited that handmade holidays is happening again this year!
and why haven’t i thought to make shoe bags as a christmas gift before?? certainly a lot cuter than the target bags i usually use….i’m adding it to my list for at least three people, including me.

wow. what a list! can’t wait to get some quality time with my machine. thanks for another exciting collection.
also, thanks for listing my passport sleeve tutorial. i am flattered and very appreciative.

Wow! all of these ideas are so timely. We’re traveling soon and I really like the passport sleeve. The tutorial is great.
The camera cosy is cute and one I’ll definitely be stitching up soon.
Keep up the wonderful ideas.
Peace,
Lynne in NC

I love those lingerie and shoe bags! Such a cute design with the linen and appliques. I found myself wishing I had shoe and lingerie bags on a recent trip and I’m sure there are others on my gift list that would appreciate having them too. I’m definitely putting this in my gift notebook. Thanks!

perfect timing. I’m travelling this week and was just thinking about ways to organize passports and travel documents. I love the lingerie and shoe bags too! Definitely have someone in mind for that gift.

I am so excited about the passport holder. It’s perfect for a new sewer like myself and I know just the person I want to make it for. Thanks for posting these. I was beginning to despair that I would never know what to make my friends and family for the Holidays.

These posts make me happy. Now I need to finish organizing my sewing stuff from last sewing frenzy so I can get going again! I’m definitely going to make some of the lingerie utility bags and maybe do some hand embroidery on them.

I have heard of Limoncello, now I can’t wait to try it. I love the camera cozy too. That would be much cuter than what I use to carry my camera in now, I would like to make that…and wouldn’t it be nice if I won some of your cute material to do it!

I know I should be thinking of gifts for others, but the lingerie/utility bags are just what *I* need — I always toss extra shoes in my luggage and these snappy bags would be a lot nicer than the plastic grocery bags I usually use. I also love the idea of using playing/tarot cards for little book covers. You could use them to make cute gift tags too.

I’m SO happy you’re doing Handmade Holidays again! Just the thing to get me in the mood.

Ya gotta love the hipshacks it is so cute! I bet it would be great for the little ones too!
I think I will make it for my son who is into Indiana Jones! I think that the Playing Card Notebooks
Will be great for stocking stuffers and they would also be great as drawing books for the kids
if we are out to eat! I can just use construction cards for the paper!
Thanks a million!
Rane
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Wow! I’m really first? That’s because I am up before anyone else in the world everyday–even during Fall Back. Love these projects. The bags are especially nice, since I’m a knitter and always need fun project bags–inspiring. But, I’m also curious about the Rosemary Limoncello. Mmmm, thanks

Yay! I’m very excited about today’s tutorials. My mother-in-law has been carrying her camera around in a sock for way too long. I’ve wanted to make her a camera case for awhile now. The card notebooks and rosemary limoncello look interesting, too. Thanks for posting new homemade gift ideas!

Thank you so much to everyone at Sew Mama Sew for organising Handmade Holidays in November again! I enjoyed last year’s immensely, and this year’s looks like it will be even bigger and better! I think I am off to make myself one of Sew-Mad’s Camera Cozy. Best wishes, Bloom.

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Meet Kristin + Beth

We always travel with handmade bags. We have vintage embroidery framed on our walls, piles of fabric next to the sewing machine and more WIPs than we'll ever finish. We love the history, craft and artistry of sewing. Read More

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